Lever-type electrical connector assemblies having a first electrical connector body, a second electrical connector body, and a lever mounted on the first electrical connector body are known. The lever moves in a first direction while connecting the first and second electrical connector bodies so that the lever engages the second electrical connector body and draws the connector bodies together for electrically connecting sets of electrical connectors housed in the bodies. The lever moves in the opposite second direction to force the connector bodies apart for disconnecting the sets of electrical connectors.
The lever is used to both urge the connector bodies together when connecting the sets of electrical connectors, and to force the connector bodies apart when disconnecting the sets of electrical connectors. As a result, the lever construction and the mounting of the lever on the first connector body is relatively complex. Grooves or slots in the lever guide the lever onto the first connector body. The second connector body may also require posts or studs that are received in slots in the lever for moving the connector bodies towards or away from each other.
For many electrical connectors, however, manual connection of the first and second connector bodies is practical and sufficient. Pressing the connector bodies together by hand successfully forms the electrical connections between sets of electrical connectors. Pressing the first connector body against the second connector body can be straightforward even in relatively crowded application environments.
But separating the manually joined connector bodies can be more difficult. Over time, the force required to disengage the sets of electrical connectors may increase due to environmental effects or corrosion.
Thus there is a need for a simplified lever type electrical connector body in which the lever is used only for urging the connector bodies apart when disconnecting the electrical connectors.
Furthermore, many electrical installations include a number of like electrical connector assemblies closely spaced from one another along a DIN rail, inside a cabinet, or the like. Due to the restricted access caused by such close spacing, it is often difficult to manually separate the connector bodies for maintenance or replacement. Electrical connector assemblies used in crowded or dense application environments may have a handle on the front connector body to manually separate the connector bodies. But the force required to initially separate the bodies may be high, making separation difficult even with a handle. Thus there is a further need for a simplified lever-type electrical connector assembly that facilitates separation of closely spaced the connector assemblies.